landlord

noun

land·​lord ˈland-ˌlȯrd 

1

: the owner of property (such as land, houses, or apartments) that is leased or rented to another

2

: the master of an inn or lodging house : innkeeper

Synonyms of landlord

• proprietor
• lessor
• letter
• renter

Examples of landlord in a Sentence

agreed to pay the landlord the rent on the first Monday of each month

a weekend workshop that is intended to disabuse would-be landlords of a bed-and breakfast that the job is one long vacation

Recent Examples on the Web

Peterson, however, says this would worsen the area’s housing challenges by taking away units from the long-term rentals market, as landlords may find shorter deals more lucrative. —Adam Crafton, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026

Under new landlords, rent for the business’s Main Street space was set to climb. —Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2026

By the 1970s and 1980s, landlords were burning apartment buildings to collect insurance money instead of investing in repairs, leaving low-income, mostly Puerto Rican and Black families without socioeconomic opportunity. —CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026

The landlord was prosecuted and convicted. —George Skelton, Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing landlord

• absentee landlord

Rhymes for landlord

• abhorred
• aboard
• accord
• adored
• afford
• award
• baseboard
• billboard
• blackboard
• boxboard
• breadboard
• broadsword

Kids Definition

landlord

noun

land·​lord -ˌ(d)lȯ(ə)rd 

1

: the owner of land or houses that is rented to another

2

: a person who runs an inn or rooming house

Legal Definition

landlord

noun

land·​lord

: the owner of property (as houses, apartments, or land) that is leased or rented to another